People forget just how big of a cultural icon the character of Lara Croft was back in the late 90s to early 2000s, she was a bigger name than a lot of real life celebrities at that time. I remember the process of selecting the actress to play her had as much hype as when a new Bond actor is chosen.
Indeed, in 1998 the german band Die Ärzte (The Medical Doctors) had a song called Männer sind Schweine (Men are Pigs) with Lara Croft featuring in their music video.
To me this is one of the better video games to movie adaptations there's ever been. It was fun, enjoyable and easy to follow. Angelina Jolie shines as Lara Croft. I couldn't have thought of anyone better at that time to play the character it was a rock solid movie. Never forget when I saw it in theaters had a blast watching it.
Jolie was a shoo-in for Lara Croft. Can't think of anyone more physically suited to depict her. If it weren't for her nationality and accent she'd be 1:1. Fortunately, she really knew how to act like Lara too. The Tomb Raider movie is what makes a good video game movie adaptation. It just understands its source material and gets what a video game is and what makes it fun and doesn't try to be anything else. It also helps that the Tomb Raider games are some of the easier video games to adapt. Most video games are too archaic and idiosyncratic to make any sense in a live action movie.
I rather enjoyed this movie. The sets were great and some of the action was good. It's funny that Angelina uses a British accent while Daniel Craig uses an American accent.
@wstine79 the thing is America is fascinated by the British or specifically English accent so that's a theory another theory for Daniel Craig's American accent is because of market reasons.
@@Slyarno2795 I expected the 2018 one to be garbage but it was enjoyable enough . I watched the Jolie ones when they came out and I can't remember them
Few Hollywood stars appear to have so much fun with their roles in a movie, like miss Jolie seems to have had in this one. And it is IMO, one of the reasons she is such a joy to watch.
yes, movies back then were different, much more high quality. I love both the games and the Jolie-movies. You can tell she really enjoyed it and that made the movie convincing. But that's movies, they have gone downhill in quality. Just look at Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark; Harrison Ford has fun with the character, emotions of joy, happiness etc. were rather convincing.... and compare that to the 4th iteration where Harrison looks like he hates to play the character and does it with the utmost disdain.... you don't see good acting anymore these days.
@@stijnvdv2 Jolie was just a perfect cast for Lara croft aswell. And like you said she clearly had fun with the role. I think a big part of movies going downhill is how cheaper it's gotten to do CGI. Back then CGI was the most expensive part of a movie so studios tried to keep it to a minimum. These days CGI has become the core of most movies with actors spending 80-90% of their time in front of a green screen. With little to no practical effects being used anymore a lot of the magic has gone. Movies like Alien or Jurassic park hit the sweet spot, just enough CGI to make the practical effects seem legit
I loved this movie as a kid. Watched my favorite scenes and the behind the scenes countless times. And I actually started learning english with this movie. It always will have a special place in my heart. I never had trouble following the plot. Nowadays I actually appreciate it's production design. And Jolie was just born to be Lara Croft. Poor Alicia Vikander does a fine job but pales in comparison.
Nineteen years later and I still have Lara Croft: Tomb Raider on DVD. It's still better than some of the crap coming out today. If you catch this on TV you're very likely to keep on watching it until the commercial break. It's just that entertaining.
I went to Cambodia and saw those temples in real life after being inspired by this movie. They're as magical in real life. Completely underrated movie.
My favourite Angelina Jolie movie. Thanks for the upload, Oliver. Used to watch this film a lot everytime it came on the telly. I did find it kind of hilarious hearing Angelina Jolie speak with a British accent and Future James Bond Daniel Craig speak with an American accent.
Leslie Phillips also is the voice of Gex in the UK version of the game. So quite a coincidence Bex is owned by Crystal Dynamix and they now make the Tomb Raider games.
*Gex no, it was license to crystal dynamics and square Enix by eidos and the same with tomb raider games after the closure of core design who btw developed Gex games originally.
I feel as though this movie has always been a guilty pleasure. But I'm also sensing it might evolve into a cult classic due to the era it released, the great casting, and eccentric/oddball plot choices. I own this movie and think it is a perfect rainy afternoon movie.
Say what you will about the 90s and 2000s special effects. We got some of the best movies ever out of those years and video games. Makes me thankful I got to grow up in the 90s. Lara Croft was definitely my my Hollywood crush. And nobody could of played it as well as Angelina IMO.
Cambodian facts: It was the first major blockbuster filmed there since the Khmer Rouge, and at the time the film crew only had one suitable hotel to stay in Siem Reap. Since the movies release Siem Reap has a rejuvenated tourist scene, and the bars have Tomb Raider or Lara Croft shots depending on the pub. The films legacy IMO is still positive. Its a really enjoyable popcorn film after all these years, and you can have a good drinking game with the techno soundtrack, unnecessary acrobatics and anytime the film references the games. Angelina Jolie would eventually direct First they Killed my Father, also documenting the Cambodian genocide.
28:03 YES!!!! I've been saying this for years. Lara Croft IS the female James Bond. The first actress to voice Lara in the original game was told just that. I'm glad others recognize this.
This is probably the best video game film in terms of characterization. Mortal Kombat certainly had better music, but Angelina Jolie helped give Lara that proper Indiana Jones vibe on the big-screen.
This was the last movie I saw in the theater before 9/11. A time when action films were just fun and innocent. Every movie post 9/11 has to be so serious and have realistic action scenes and shaky cam. Action films gave me anxiety after 9/11.
@@handsomeDRAC The Dark Knight ruined most superhero and action films that followed it, due to the studios attempting to recapture it's terribly self important tone in their attempts at a blockbuster. Just look at the last few Bond films: devoid of any fun anf largely terrible.
I love this movie when it came out it was such a fun experience, I love this Lara Croft, Angelina Jolie became since then my Lara Croft ❤ I love her performance, her commanding presence on the camara, her accent, her strength as a character, her abilities as an action character, her cheekiness, her sarcasm.
Another outstanding review, Oliver Harper. My main man! I went to see Lara Croft: Tomb Raider at the cinema with my grandfather Fred whom passed away in 2020. I've enjoyed all the Tomb Raider movies and I think they are all great. Angelina Jolie was an awesome Lara Croft and Alicia Vikander was just as good and I liked what Alicia Vikander did with her reinvention of the character. However, after going to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I looked at Daisy Ridley in character as Rey on the cover of a magazine looking all badass and I envisioned her as Lara Croft and I was surprised to learn Daisy Ridley was in talks to take the role for the 2018 reboot. A shame she couldn't take the role due to work on Star Wars and I think she would had been fantastic. Lara Croft is such an awesome character. Not only have I got all 3 Lara Croft movies on DVD, I also own a Lara Croft Funko Pop! What is there not to like about Lara Croft? She's tough. Sexy. Confident. Intelligent. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is a enjoyable, non-stop and fast paced action fantasy adventure movie which Angelina Jolie gave an enjoyable performance as Lara Croft and it is one of the best action movies Angelina Jolie has done in her acting career and it shows that Angelina Jolie is capable female action star.
Alicia Vikander didn't reinvent shit; her 2018 movie is based on 2013 Tr reboot that ruined the character thanks to square and crystal and it was boring and uninspired
@@Oldschool1943 I think Daisy is awful in the Star Wars movies. I don't know if its her, the writing, the directing or all of them. Yeah those movies were awful but I think she would've made a good Lara Croft . If you didn't know her as the Mary Sue previously and she just turned up in the movie she could pull it off. But I see your point
Only thing about this movie I know is that the soundtrack has one of Nine Inch Nails’ best songs to never not be released on a proper NIN album/b-sides.
This and The Matrix soundtrack played a large role in shaping my musical tastes into what they are today. Personally, _Terra Firma (Lara's Mix)_ by Delerium is my favorite track on a soundtrack full of great music.
I was obsessed with this movie as a kid! It's so silly, cheesy and fun, but Angelina fully commits to it. Pre-fame Daniel Craig is always welcome. It always amused me that he was doing an awful American accent, while Jolie was doing an awful English accent.
Finally got around to watching this. To prepare for this, I decided to watch both this movie and the 2018 Tomb Raider movie. I wound up actually enjoying them both. I never really got into "Tomb Raider" until I played a bit of "Tomb Raider: Anniversary" on the PS2, a great remake of the original PS1 game. It wouldn't be until I played "Tomb Raider: Trilogy" (well the first two games) and the 2013 reboot game I really got into the franchise. The 2001 movie was a shitload of fun, definitely had a balance of camp while it did pack on a few emotional scenes. I feel that the 2018 reboot had some similar issues, but I still had a good time watching that one, especially for Alicia Vikander as Lara. Didn't see the "Cradle of Life" yet. Great Review Oliver. 😀
I'm so glad they gave Chris a chance to be BA in the sequel. People forget that he was Ace Rimmer and is perfectly capable of wrestling large aquatic reptiles whilst sky diving.
So about that info regarding the new Tomb Raider movie sequel not getting a green light. It did actually. Misha Green, creator of “Lovecraft Country” was expected to write the script and direct the sequel with Alicia Vikander returning as Lara Croft and MGM being the sole distributor this time around instead of collaborating with Warner Bros., who distributed the first film. Unfortunately, the rights lapse and MGM no longer holds rights to any new Tomb Raider movies with the film rights reverted back to GK Films and Square Enix while Vikander left the role due to the long time it took to get it off the ground. There’s now going to be a full reboot.
Tomb Raider was the very first game I rented for my PS1 when I first got it and wow what a game to start with, it absolutely blew my 10 year old mind. I remember having most of my fun just messing around in Lara's mansion in the training level.
This is peak Jolie. Literally never gets any better than this, overall. My nieces all love this movie even though they're much younger than when it came out.
I know you said that you're not interested in the Uncharted movie, but just so you know, there are many fans of that movie, despite some of the negative reception. It may be worth your while to review it, since you've covered the Tomb Raider movie(movie about a video game treasure hunter).
I enjoyed the reboot to this movie with Alicia Vikander, but the sequel may be postponed or cancelled due to the Amazon/MGM merger. She said in an interview, "It's out of my hands and I don't think the film will ever get made in time."
A film that is way better than it's given credit for. And the cast?! Wow what an interesting list of Brits and 2 American stars. Jolie treats the character with respect and overall it's a well rounded strong film.
@@DafyddBrooks A mini poster and a pin or button. It was at a theater in the Bahamas on Grand Bahama island, but I was told the same thing was done at certain cinemas in North America.
Hey Oliver, yet another great RR! This was yet another movie that I was hoping you'd do sooner rather than later so I guess you read my mind again! I hope you get around to doing the long awaited RR's on 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Planet of the Apes (1968), as well as redo's on The Dark Crystal (1982), Labyrinth (1986), Highlander (1986) and Total Recall (1990). BTW, I'm surprised that you haven't given a review for the new remastered 4K Star Trek: The Motion Picture that came out earlier this year. Hope you will still get around to doing so.
It was a lot of fun, even though a lot of die-hard fans (like myself) dislike the Hollywood-ification of Lara and the game's premise (e.g. having a love interest, her main agency coming from her father, etc.). It's still a good popcorn movie - great review!
The 2013 reboot of Tomb Raider didn't mark the first time this franchise was rebooted. The Legend-Anniversary-Underworld trilogy rewrote Lara's entire backstory and motivation, basing much of it on this movie, of all things. In the original continuity of the games, Lara's parents were both still alive, and had disowned her. This nonsense about Lara's father being an MIA archaeologist only started with this movie, as did his name, Richard Croft. Originally, he was Lord Henshingly Croft.
core design era the original timeline by the creators of tomb raider, their version is and will always be the real Lara. i 100% agree and tomb raider was one of the earlier victims (before it became a trend nowadays) by taking an already established franchise and existing fanbase by changing it to what they wanted it to be. but i think the 2013 stans are toxic. yeah but Legend & Underworld are reboots, it was trying to connect to the original from what core did but i also felt like square and crystal tried to distance themselves away from what it was to formed into 2013 TR. it was reboots that nobody asked for and it was just them milking it and square never cared about the franchise and it showed when just recently square sold tomb raider, Deux Ex, Thief and Legacy of Kain for cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens, NFTs.
I liked the butler character and those stone warriors. "I woke up this morning and just hated everything" that's what Lara says to the mail man if I remember it correctly 😆
I say this a super-fan of the original games. Angelina Jolie was perfectly cast as Lara Croft. The whole cast is good, in fact. The problem is that they tried to make Lara into a female Bronson era James Bond and not a female Indiana Jones. There was too much fast paced techno-action set pieces and not enough tomb raiding. Also the game environments were varied, colorful, and EPIC. The environments in the movie were lifeless and utterly boring. I know they are limited by money and SFX technology but imagination and creativity can overcome that. The filmmakers lacked both.
Well Lara really isn’t a female Indiana Jones. She is an expert in hand to hand combat, all forms of fire arms, expert gymnast, ridiculously smart like She reads fluently dead languages. She’s basically a super hero or like a black widow type character. Nathan drake and Indiana Jones are far more alike because their more real while Lara Croft was made to be this super hero
Without knowing you were going to do this video, I watched this movie last week again. I’ve always liked it, even though I saw it for the first time only 2 years ago. I do think the sequel was better, but there’s no reason to hate this one.
Back when Pluto was not a dwarf planet lol. For anyone wondering Pluto is one of hundreds of dwarf planets out in the Kuiper belt it was originally misclassified as a planet in 1930 because we didn't have the technology to know about the Kuiper belt but as we discovered more Pluto's classification was corrected. Also the planets are so far apart you would not see them like that in the film (they would look like faint distant stars in space until you got close) unless you had a large telescope.
Good review!! Yep - this is one of those movies to watch just for the FUN of it, nothing else. Still watch it to this day. Think Angelina Jolie did an awesome job with the character. "Tomb Raider II" will watch but also will phase out of it somewhere along the line. Really enjoyed the re-make for that is like the 1st movie - just plain FUN to watch. I still have the original games from Play Station 1 & 2 and tried re-playing them recently. Never really finished none of those games and I remember why - keep getting my butt handed to me. Oh well, they are FUN games to play as well.
This was well-researched, good job. Even though I liked Mortal Kombat, at the time, I actually felt this was the best video game movie out of Hollywood. (And even now, I'd still rank it in the Top 5). I was so cynical of how they would do it (robots? who are all these new people she lives with?? The chick from Hackers??) but I think they made something fun, and pulled it off! I can tell you the exact moment this movie won me over, and it's when Lara hops a bike and struts into a stuffy old auction with a devil-may-care attitude. Jolie nailed Lara's confidence and badass vibe. As a fan of the games, it had the flips, the guns, and the adventure, and that was all I asked for. But it also had some nice new ideas. Her supporting cast clearly influenced the allies Croft would get in the (excellent) Tomb Raider Legend game, and I think Angelina and Jon Voight's real-life relationship gave more meaning to the father-daughter stuff.
great review keep up the good work but i have a question regarding a movie . what do you think about The Man in the Iron Mask 1998 ? and is a chance of you doing a video (retrospective review)about it? Thanks
Since Jon Voight also plays Patrick Gates from National Treasure I can't not keep thinking he is Gates lol. I'm watching it right now off of HBO, and it's pretty neat so far. On a side not Daniel Craig with an American accent just feels off. Like it's fine, just when you think Daniel Craig you think British. Anginelina's English accent is (to me) nice though, but I'm also American so take that with a grain of salt.
I was 10 years old when I saw this in a movie theater 21 years ago, I loved it! Angelina was hot and great as Lara, she became my crush. It's one of the best video game movies.
Hey Oliver! Nice work on this review! I agree with your observations about the plot. The movie is fun, and goofy, but not good in the strictest sense. I always thought the effects were the biggest issue with the finished product, but there were apparently far more production issues than I was aware of. I think there's a lesson here about having too many cooks in the kitchen. What we really needed was someone with a clear vision behind this production. The other thing is, Indiana Jones movies are not that easy to replicate. When you venture into fantasy territory, you need clearly defined rules to be established before things get crazy, or the plot falls apart.
Well said Matthew, yeah too many cooks in the kitchen on this production. Its never a good sign when you have so many writers credited and they can't make up their minds on a composer.
When this came out it was the best video game adaptation movie made up until that point. People really only cared about the game coming to life and the character being realised in live action, which it did perfectly.
People forget just how big of a cultural icon the character of Lara Croft was back in the late 90s to early 2000s, she was a bigger name than a lot of real life celebrities at that time. I remember the process of selecting the actress to play her had as much hype as when a new Bond actor is chosen.
Yep, even worth saying that for some people Lara was a real person despite the fact she wasn't😉
@@sylwesterpastuszka5593 she's real to me damn it!!💘
Should have chosen Liz Hurley and gotten a movie out in the 90s. Jolie was great but they were way too late to capitalize on Lara mania.
Indeed, in 1998 the german band Die Ärzte (The Medical Doctors) had a song called Männer sind Schweine (Men are Pigs) with Lara Croft featuring in their music video.
Yes and the actresses saw it as an honour to be asked to depict her.
To me this is one of the better video games to movie adaptations there's ever been. It was fun, enjoyable and easy to follow. Angelina Jolie shines as Lara Croft. I couldn't have thought of anyone better at that time to play the character it was a rock solid movie. Never forget when I saw it in theaters had a blast watching it.
Jolie was a shoo-in for Lara Croft. Can't think of anyone more physically suited to depict her. If it weren't for her nationality and accent she'd be 1:1. Fortunately, she really knew how to act like Lara too.
The Tomb Raider movie is what makes a good video game movie adaptation. It just understands its source material and gets what a video game is and what makes it fun and doesn't try to be anything else. It also helps that the Tomb Raider games are some of the easier video games to adapt. Most video games are too archaic and idiosyncratic to make any sense in a live action movie.
absolutely. gotta have fun with it, but take the material seriously enough so it's not just a big goofy movie. they did a great job.
tbh that bar isnt very high
Danny Divito as Laura Croft is better mgl
@@vcdonovan5943 did you ever see the 2018 tomb raider movie with alicia vikander as Lara
I rather enjoyed this movie. The sets were great and some of the action was good. It's funny that Angelina uses a British accent while Daniel Craig uses an American accent.
I plan to see it and the one in 2018 and maybe find them okay.
I found it hilarious too.
I've always imagined that they corrected and coached each other 😅
@wstine79 the thing is America is fascinated by the British or specifically English accent so that's a theory another theory for Daniel Craig's American accent is because of market reasons.
@@Slyarno2795 I expected the 2018 one to be garbage but it was enjoyable enough . I watched the Jolie ones when they came out and I can't remember them
Few Hollywood stars appear to have so much fun with their roles in a movie, like miss Jolie seems to have had in this one. And it is IMO, one of the reasons she is such a joy to watch.
Also she has quite a lot in common with the classic Lara
@@sylwesterpastuszka5593 Did videogame Lara bang her own brother, aswell?
yes, movies back then were different, much more high quality. I love both the games and the Jolie-movies. You can tell she really enjoyed it and that made the movie convincing. But that's movies, they have gone downhill in quality. Just look at Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark; Harrison Ford has fun with the character, emotions of joy, happiness etc. were rather convincing.... and compare that to the 4th iteration where Harrison looks like he hates to play the character and does it with the utmost disdain.... you don't see good acting anymore these days.
@@stijnvdv2 Jolie was just a perfect cast for Lara croft aswell. And like you said she clearly had fun with the role. I think a big part of movies going downhill is how cheaper it's gotten to do CGI. Back then CGI was the most expensive part of a movie so studios tried to keep it to a minimum. These days CGI has become the core of most movies with actors spending 80-90% of their time in front of a green screen. With little to no practical effects being used anymore a lot of the magic has gone. Movies like Alien or Jurassic park hit the sweet spot, just enough CGI to make the practical effects seem legit
Oliver Harper is one of, if not, the most under rated reviewer channel on here. Great work!
Thanks very much!
I loved this movie as a kid. Watched my favorite scenes and the behind the scenes countless times. And I actually started learning english with this movie. It always will have a special place in my heart.
I never had trouble following the plot. Nowadays I actually appreciate it's production design. And Jolie was just born to be Lara Croft. Poor Alicia Vikander does a fine job but pales in comparison.
Let just all admit she was freakin' born to play that role and kicked all kind of asses while looking gorgeous doing so.
100%!!
I just wish the script were better.
@@cablehogue599 The script was fine
Nineteen years later and I still have Lara Croft: Tomb Raider on DVD. It's still better than some of the crap coming out today. If you catch this on TV you're very likely to keep on watching it until the commercial break. It's just that entertaining.
It knows how to be fun.
*sigh* I remember fun...
I went to Cambodia and saw those temples in real life after being inspired by this movie. They're as magical in real life. Completely underrated movie.
Love this movie since i watched it in cinema back in 2001.
It's a dumb fun fast paced action adventure.
Got it on VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray.
My favourite Angelina Jolie movie. Thanks for the upload, Oliver. Used to watch this film a lot everytime it came on the telly. I did find it kind of hilarious hearing Angelina Jolie speak with a British accent and Future James Bond Daniel Craig speak with an American accent.
Haven't seen this in twenty years but it looks better than I remembered. Time for a rewatch this weekend.
Leslie Phillips also is the voice of Gex in the UK version of the game. So quite a coincidence Bex is owned by Crystal Dynamix and they now make the Tomb Raider games.
Damn you're everywhere
*Gex no, it was license to crystal dynamics and square Enix by eidos and the same with tomb raider games after the closure of core design who btw developed Gex games originally.
@@Oldschool1943 I have no idea what you are saying.
Hey you
@@Larry Hello You!
I always felt Jolie deserved more credit for this role in general.
"more credit"? It launched her into superstardom XD
@@reaceness right lol that’s what I thought
Im pretty sure when people hear the name Lara Croft, they think of Angelina Jolie.
I feel as though this movie has always been a guilty pleasure. But I'm also sensing it might evolve into a cult classic due to the era it released, the great casting, and eccentric/oddball plot choices. I own this movie and think it is a perfect rainy afternoon movie.
already stapled as a cult movie
Say what you will about the 90s and 2000s special effects. We got some of the best movies ever out of those years and video games. Makes me thankful I got to grow up in the 90s. Lara Croft was definitely my my Hollywood crush. And nobody could of played it as well as Angelina IMO.
Cambodian facts: It was the first major blockbuster filmed there since the Khmer Rouge, and at the time the film crew only had one suitable hotel to stay in Siem Reap. Since the movies release Siem Reap has a rejuvenated tourist scene, and the bars have Tomb Raider or Lara Croft shots depending on the pub.
The films legacy IMO is still positive. Its a really enjoyable popcorn film after all these years, and you can have a good drinking game with the techno soundtrack, unnecessary acrobatics and anytime the film references the games. Angelina Jolie would eventually direct First they Killed my Father, also documenting the Cambodian genocide.
28:03 YES!!!! I've been saying this for years. Lara Croft IS the female James Bond. The first actress to voice Lara in the original game was told just that. I'm glad others recognize this.
This is probably the best video game film in terms of characterization. Mortal Kombat certainly had better music, but Angelina Jolie helped give Lara that proper Indiana Jones vibe on the big-screen.
Ben you ever saw the 2018 tomb raider film
This was the last movie I saw in the theater before 9/11. A time when action films were just fun and innocent. Every movie post 9/11 has to be so serious and have realistic action scenes and shaky cam. Action films gave me anxiety after 9/11.
Everything went downhill after 9/11. Movies, music, society. The ripple effect is still felt today.
Spielberg's War of the Worlds comes to mind as one heavy with a 9/11-influenced look and feel to it.
@@adamlane6453 The Dark Knight as well.
@@handsomeDRAC The Dark Knight ruined most superhero and action films that followed it, due to the studios attempting to recapture it's terribly self important tone in their attempts at a blockbuster.
Just look at the last few Bond films: devoid of any fun anf largely terrible.
@@Bale4Bond yeah, what was wrong with Tim Burtons fun and imaginative Batman films?
I love this movie when it came out it was such a fun experience, I love this Lara Croft, Angelina Jolie became since then my Lara Croft ❤ I love her performance, her commanding presence on the camara, her accent, her strength as a character, her abilities as an action character, her cheekiness, her sarcasm.
Another outstanding review, Oliver Harper. My main man! I went to see Lara Croft: Tomb Raider at the cinema with my grandfather Fred whom passed away in 2020. I've enjoyed all the Tomb Raider movies and I think they are all great. Angelina Jolie was an awesome Lara Croft and Alicia Vikander was just as good and I liked what Alicia Vikander did with her reinvention of the character. However, after going to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I looked at Daisy Ridley in character as Rey on the cover of a magazine looking all badass and I envisioned her as Lara Croft and I was surprised to learn Daisy Ridley was in talks to take the role for the 2018 reboot. A shame she couldn't take the role due to work on Star Wars and I think she would had been fantastic. Lara Croft is such an awesome character. Not only have I got all 3 Lara Croft movies on DVD, I also own a Lara Croft Funko Pop! What is there not to like about Lara Croft? She's tough. Sexy. Confident. Intelligent. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is a enjoyable, non-stop and fast paced action fantasy adventure movie which Angelina Jolie gave an enjoyable performance as Lara Croft and it is one of the best action movies Angelina Jolie has done in her acting career and it shows that Angelina Jolie is capable female action star.
Didn't know Daisy came close to playing Lara. Yeah I can imagine her being perfect
@@laurarules3642 Terrible
Alicia Vikander didn't reinvent shit; her 2018 movie is based on 2013 Tr reboot that ruined the character thanks to square and crystal and it was boring and uninspired
@@Oldschool1943 Don't go there!
@@Oldschool1943 I think Daisy is awful in the Star Wars movies. I don't know if its her, the writing, the directing or all of them. Yeah those movies were awful but I think she would've made a good Lara Croft . If you didn't know her as the Mary Sue previously and she just turned up in the movie she could pull it off. But I see your point
Definitely a guilty pleasure of mine. My second favorite video game movie behind Mortal Kombat.
And I was hoping someone would make a retrospective on this movie after I re watched it again...
my wishes have come true...
Wow...
Only thing about this movie I know is that the soundtrack has one of Nine Inch Nails’ best songs to never not be released on a proper NIN album/b-sides.
This and The Matrix soundtrack played a large role in shaping my musical tastes into what they are today. Personally, _Terra Firma (Lara's Mix)_ by Delerium is my favorite track on a soundtrack full of great music.
@@The_Isaiahnator same here, I still listen to it 🙂 Song of life is also one of my favorites from the album of the movie
I was obsessed with this movie as a kid! It's so silly, cheesy and fun, but Angelina fully commits to it. Pre-fame Daniel Craig is always welcome. It always amused me that he was doing an awful American accent, while Jolie was doing an awful English accent.
Mate, you deserve 100x the views you get! Best retrospectives on TH-cam. Thanks for all the time you put into these edits
Thanks very much dude!
Finally got around to watching this. To prepare for this, I decided to watch both this movie and the 2018 Tomb Raider movie. I wound up actually enjoying them both. I never really got into "Tomb Raider" until I played a bit of "Tomb Raider: Anniversary" on the PS2, a great remake of the original PS1 game. It wouldn't be until I played "Tomb Raider: Trilogy" (well the first two games) and the 2013 reboot game I really got into the franchise. The 2001 movie was a shitload of fun, definitely had a balance of camp while it did pack on a few emotional scenes. I feel that the 2018 reboot had some similar issues, but I still had a good time watching that one, especially for Alicia Vikander as Lara. Didn't see the "Cradle of Life" yet.
Great Review Oliver. 😀
It is now the 18th of July. We are now 64 days passed the planetary alignment.
4,979 alignments to go
@@costaliberta5969 hahahahh. Exactamente
"Try not to make sense of the plot."
Something that should be most movie posters.
"Lara races (kinda) the Illuminati for pieces of an artifact that controls time" pretty much all you need to know lol, rest is just dressing
Oliver Harper runs through the cryptic techno music filled tomb to bring us another awesome retrospective review.
Absolute perfect casting.
Massively underrated film. Well acted, great plot and story, brilliant music and action. I've always loved it
I remember this film being really good at the time, it's a shame about the second one, but that one was alright as well!
Another great retrospective review Oliver. I look forward to you covering The Cradle of Life.
Kind of ironic that crofts father was presumed dead considering the relationship Angelina had with her dad...
Love that Leslie Phillips was all over blockbusters for a time as he was in The Jackal also
I'm so glad they gave Chris a chance to be BA in the sequel. People forget that he was Ace Rimmer and is perfectly capable of wrestling large aquatic reptiles whilst sky diving.
So about that info regarding the new Tomb Raider movie sequel not getting a green light. It did actually. Misha Green, creator of “Lovecraft Country” was expected to write the script and direct the sequel with Alicia Vikander returning as Lara Croft and MGM being the sole distributor this time around instead of collaborating with Warner Bros., who distributed the first film. Unfortunately, the rights lapse and MGM no longer holds rights to any new Tomb Raider movies with the film rights reverted back to GK Films and Square Enix while Vikander left the role due to the long time it took to get it off the ground. There’s now going to be a full reboot.
This was one of the first films i ever saw in a midnight viewing. i thought it was one of more successful video game adaptions.
Tomb Raider was the very first game I rented for my PS1 when I first got it and wow what a game to start with, it absolutely blew my 10 year old mind. I remember having most of my fun just messing around in Lara's mansion in the training level.
I'd love to see Angelina return to the role
This is peak Jolie. Literally never gets any better than this, overall. My nieces all love this movie even though they're much younger than when it came out.
I know you said that you're not interested in the Uncharted movie, but just so you know, there are many fans of that movie, despite some of the negative reception. It may be worth your while to review it, since you've covered the Tomb Raider movie(movie about a video game treasure hunter).
Although I consider myself not someone who just sees a body, Angelina Jolie is genuinely one of the most beautiful women on the silver screen
Another great review, Oliver. Would love to see a review on "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003)"
*Angelina's shorts* are the true VIP of this film
Have eagerly been waiting for another Oliver Harper's Retrospectives & Reviews.
Say what you want about the soundtrack, I still bop it every summer. It was probably my first foray into electronic music.
Even when I'm not really interested in the movie I always find these retrospectives very interesting.
Always a pleasure to watch your content !
Thank you very much!
I enjoyed the reboot to this movie with Alicia Vikander, but the sequel may be postponed or cancelled due to the Amazon/MGM merger. She said in an interview, "It's out of my hands and I don't think the film will ever get made in time."
A film that is way better than it's given credit for. And the cast?! Wow what an interesting list of Brits and 2 American stars. Jolie treats the character with respect and overall it's a well rounded strong film.
I remember the merch they gave out on the opening day of the film.
@@DafyddBrooks A mini poster and a pin or button. It was at a theater in the Bahamas on Grand Bahama island, but I was told the same thing was done at certain cinemas in North America.
Hey Oliver, yet another great RR! This was yet another movie that I was hoping you'd do sooner rather than later so I guess you read my mind again! I hope you get around to doing the long awaited RR's on 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Planet of the Apes (1968), as well as redo's on The Dark Crystal (1982), Labyrinth (1986), Highlander (1986) and Total Recall (1990).
BTW, I'm surprised that you haven't given a review for the new remastered 4K Star Trek: The Motion Picture that came out earlier this year. Hope you will still get around to doing so.
It was a lot of fun, even though a lot of die-hard fans (like myself) dislike the Hollywood-ification of Lara and the game's premise (e.g. having a love interest, her main agency coming from her father, etc.). It's still a good popcorn movie - great review!
The 2013 reboot of Tomb Raider didn't mark the first time this franchise was rebooted. The Legend-Anniversary-Underworld trilogy rewrote Lara's entire backstory and motivation, basing much of it on this movie, of all things. In the original continuity of the games, Lara's parents were both still alive, and had disowned her. This nonsense about Lara's father being an MIA archaeologist only started with this movie, as did his name, Richard Croft. Originally, he was Lord Henshingly Croft.
core design era the original timeline by the creators of tomb raider, their version is and will always be the real Lara. i 100% agree and tomb raider was one of the earlier victims (before it became a trend nowadays) by taking an already established franchise and existing fanbase by changing it to what they wanted it to be. but i think the 2013 stans are toxic. yeah but Legend & Underworld are reboots, it was trying to connect to the original from what core did but i also felt like square and crystal tried to distance themselves away from what it was to formed into 2013 TR. it was reboots that nobody asked for and it was just them milking it and square never cared about the franchise and it showed when just recently square sold tomb raider, Deux Ex, Thief and Legacy of Kain for cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens, NFTs.
4:23 The Pepsi/PS2 tie-in brings back so many memories.
I was absolutely sure that the general's daughter was a Gregory hoblit film, I was shocked when I checked after you mentioned it was a West movie
I liked the butler character and those stone warriors.
"I woke up this morning and just hated everything"
that's what Lara says to the mail man if I remember it correctly 😆
I say this a super-fan of the original games. Angelina Jolie was perfectly cast as Lara Croft. The whole cast is good, in fact. The problem is that they tried to make Lara into a female Bronson era James Bond and not a female Indiana Jones. There was too much fast paced techno-action set pieces and not enough tomb raiding. Also the game environments were varied, colorful, and EPIC. The environments in the movie were lifeless and utterly boring. I know they are limited by money and SFX technology but imagination and creativity can overcome that. The filmmakers lacked both.
Well Lara really isn’t a female Indiana Jones. She is an expert in hand to hand combat, all forms of fire arms, expert gymnast, ridiculously smart like She reads fluently dead languages. She’s basically a super hero or like a black widow type character.
Nathan drake and Indiana Jones are far more alike because their more real while Lara Croft was made to be this super hero
Without knowing you were going to do this video, I watched this movie last week again. I’ve always liked it, even though I saw it for the first time only 2 years ago. I do think the sequel was better, but there’s no reason to hate this one.
Makes me wonder how the longer version by the director would play today. Thanks for your thoughtful review. Slainté (Irish for "to your health!")
One of the better video game movies. I love the games and Angela Jolie.
Back when Pluto was not a dwarf planet lol. For anyone wondering Pluto is one of hundreds of dwarf planets out in the Kuiper belt it was originally misclassified as a planet in 1930 because we didn't have the technology to know about the Kuiper belt but as we discovered more Pluto's classification was corrected. Also the planets are so far apart you would not see them like that in the film (they would look like faint distant stars in space until you got close) unless you had a large telescope.
Would love you to do the second Angelina Film as well as the 2018 one! Great Job as always!
Good review!! Yep - this is one of those movies to watch just for the FUN of it, nothing else. Still watch it to this day. Think Angelina Jolie did an awesome job with the character. "Tomb Raider II" will watch but also will phase out of it somewhere along the line. Really enjoyed the re-make for that is like the 1st movie - just plain FUN to watch.
I still have the original games from Play Station 1 & 2 and tried re-playing them recently. Never really finished none of those games and I remember why - keep getting my butt handed to me. Oh well, they are FUN games to play as well.
Pound for pound this is still one of the better videogame adaptations
Love lara croft tomb raider angelina jolie was born to play lara croft and she'll always be lara croft to me
Forever regretful we never got a trilogy; the sequel definitely wasn’t as good as this one but it was still a fun enjoyable movie.
Oh yes. Saw it in the theaters opening weekend, despite never playing a second of the game.
19:50 the song accompanying the mansion break in scene is Fatboy Slim’s “Illuminati”, a re-make he made of his earlier track “Michael Jackson”
This was well-researched, good job.
Even though I liked Mortal Kombat, at the time, I actually felt this was the best video game movie out of Hollywood. (And even now, I'd still rank it in the Top 5). I was so cynical of how they would do it (robots? who are all these new people she lives with?? The chick from Hackers??) but I think they made something fun, and pulled it off! I can tell you the exact moment this movie won me over, and it's when Lara hops a bike and struts into a stuffy old auction with a devil-may-care attitude. Jolie nailed Lara's confidence and badass vibe.
As a fan of the games, it had the flips, the guns, and the adventure, and that was all I asked for. But it also had some nice new ideas. Her supporting cast clearly influenced the allies Croft would get in the (excellent) Tomb Raider Legend game, and I think Angelina and Jon Voight's real-life relationship gave more meaning to the father-daughter stuff.
great review keep up the good work but i have a question regarding a movie .
what do you think about The Man in the Iron Mask 1998 ? and is a chance of you doing a video (retrospective review)about it?
Thanks
Awesome, there isn't enough coverage of this movie
Since Jon Voight also plays Patrick Gates from National Treasure I can't not keep thinking he is Gates lol. I'm watching it right now off of HBO, and it's pretty neat so far.
On a side not Daniel Craig with an American accent just feels off. Like it's fine, just when you think Daniel Craig you think British. Anginelina's English accent is (to me) nice though, but I'm also American so take that with a grain of salt.
I really enjoyed this upon release this is the perfect excuse to have another watch cheers Oliver
Brilliant work sir 👍
OMG, Lara's butler was ol' Smeg-Head Rimmer?!! LOL
I've been waiting for this day for years.
It has finally come.
haha sorry it took so long!
I cupped Jon Voight from behind once when he was walking through a crowd. I just slipped away.
I love all your videos Oliver. I hope you make one for Looper(2012) one day. ✌️
What struck me about this movie was that the individual action scenes were a lot of fun but there wasn’t much to tie them together.
Oh man, I hope there will be a "Charlie's Angels (2000)" Retrospective one day
Lol I forgot they had a remake a few years ago, it really was that forgettable
I like this movie and it sequel. I prefer this over the reboot movie. But I would like to see a sequel to the reboot movie too.
I was 10 years old when I saw this in a movie theater 21 years ago, I loved it! Angelina was hot and great as Lara, she became my crush. It's one of the best video game movies.
One of my fave guilty pleasures.
Jolie is perfect for this role, stunning
Best remembered by me for daniel Craig's dodgy accent
And Angelinas hooters
This retrospective is better than any of the movies or games and even makes it interesting!
That's Princess Lara Croft.
Still waiting for cradle of life 😻🤣 love this work
"certain body of work" cheeky choice of words
Im a Big Fan of the Movie and the Second one. Sadly they dont made a third one for a Trilogy with Angelina Jolie.
Both movies are a solid slice of cheese. I bought a blu ray pack that had both and I have no regrets.
Back when blockbusters were fun to watch.
Hey Oliver! Nice work on this review! I agree with your observations about the plot. The movie is fun, and goofy, but not good in the strictest sense. I always thought the effects were the biggest issue with the finished product, but there were apparently far more production issues than I was aware of. I think there's a lesson here about having too many cooks in the kitchen. What we really needed was someone with a clear vision behind this production. The other thing is, Indiana Jones movies are not that easy to replicate. When you venture into fantasy territory, you need clearly defined rules to be established before things get crazy, or the plot falls apart.
Well said Matthew, yeah too many cooks in the kitchen on this production. Its never a good sign when you have so many writers credited and they can't make up their minds on a composer.
Keep up the great work Oliver. You're a treasure 🥇
When this came out it was the best video game adaptation movie made up until that point. People really only cared about the game coming to life and the character being realised in live action, which it did perfectly.